Drop foot device

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to assembly of an accessory and a shoe for providing support to a foot-drop affected foot relative to a lower leg belonging to the foot such that the loot is prevented from dropping downwards relative to the lower leg when the foot is raised by the lower from a supporting surface, the accessory being provided with a first attachment member for attachment of the accessory to the lower leg, a second attachment member for attachment of the accessory to an upper side of the shoe and a connecting body joining together the first attachment member and the second attachment member, wherein the second attachment member is provided with an attachment plate which, in use, is positioned under an upper part of the shoe. The invention also relates to the accessory of the assembly.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/980,975, filed Nov. 3, 2004 which is a continuation of PCTInternational Application No. PCT/NL02/00298 filed May 6, 2002, thecontents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to an assembly of an accessory and a shoe forsupporting a foot-drop affected foot relative to a lower leg belongingto the foot such that the foot is prevented from dropping down relativeto the lower leg when the foot is raised by the lower leg from asupporting surface, the accessory being provided with a first attachmentmember for attachment of the accessory to the lower leg, a secondattachment member for attachment of the accessory to an upper side ofthe shoe, and a connecting body joining together the first attachmentmember and the second attachment member. Further, the invention relatesto an accessory of the assembly for providing (bottom) support to afoot-drop affected foot.

2. Prior Art

The referred-to assembly is known and is described in, for instance,U.S. Pat. No. 4,829,982. In the known assembly, the shoe of the assemblyis provided with a special modification for attaching the secondattachment member to the shoe.

A disadvantage of the known assembly is that the shoe of the assembly isrestricted to a particular type. The shoe of the known assembly isprovided with a clearly visible attaching eye. One of the consequencesthereof is that the user is not free to choose the type of shoe to beused. Attaching the accessory to the shoe with the first attachmentmember takes place in a conspicuous and laborious manner. Besides, itholds that the point of engagement of the second attachment member isnot at mid-length of the shoe, so that a twisting supporting force isapplied to the shoe with the foot-drop affected foot.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to meet at least one of theabove-mentioned disadvantages. To that end, the invention provides anassembly which is characterized in that the second attachment member isprovided with an attachment plate which, in use, is positioned under anupper part of the shoe. Thus, a relatively inconspicuous attachment canbe realized. Further, with this attachment, it is possible to use alarge number of different types of shoes in the assembly, so that theuser has a large freedom of choice in determining the type of shoedesired by him/her. In particular, the user can opt for a relativelyinconspicuous “normal” shoe.

According to a preferred embodiment of the assembly it holds that withthe attachment plate, the accessory can be detachably connected to theshoe. If the shoe is a lace-up shoe, the attachment plate can bepositioned between at least a part of the lace and an upper tongueextending in the longitudinal direction of the shoe while, in use, theattachment plate is laced between the lace and the upper tongue.However, with a lace-up shoe, it is also possible that the attachmentplate is positioned in at least a part of the lace and, during use, islaced in the lace. Thus, by means of the attachment plate, the accessorycan be detachably connected in a simple manner with virtually any typeof lace-up shoe. The attachment plate can be arranged at a position suchthat the resultant of the supporting force to be transmitted acts on theshoe at a desired location. Consequently, it is possible, inter alia,viewed in a transverse direction of the shoe, to have the resultant actat mid-length of the shoe, so that in the transverse direction, thefoot-drop affected foot does not experience, or hardly experiencestorsion of the supporting force.

According to one embodiment, it holds that the attachment plate ismanufactured from a flexible material. As a result, the plate can bemodeled on, for instance, the instep of the foot-drop affected foot forobtaining a favorable comfort in wearing. Preferably, it holds that theconnecting plate attachment strap is provided with a Velcro closure foropening and closing the strap, so that the strap can be rapidly andfittingly attached to the leg.

According to a preferred embodiment it holds that the connecting body issubstantially provided with a strip-shaped part. The strip-shaped partcan be designed to be flexible for obtaining an optimal supportingcharacteristic. According to this supporting characteristic, the upwardforce applied to the foot-drop affected foot can be adapted to therelative position of the foot-drop affected foot relative to the leg ina dynamic manner which is well in line with the natural way of walking.Preferably, the strip-shaped part is provided with a first strip-shapedsubpart and a second strip-shaped subpart and a closure for detachablyjoining together the first and the second strip-shaped subpart. As aresult, the attachment strap can be disconnected from the shoe in asimple manner. When the user, while sitting down, has no need for(bottom) support or wishes to take his shoe off, the accessory can bedisconnected from the shoe without the attachment plate having to bedetached from the shoe.

The invention also relates to the accessory of the assembly as furtherdefined in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will presently be further elucidated with reference to thedrawings. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective representation of the accessoryaccording to the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective side view of an assembly according tothe invention which is put into use by a person having a foot-dropaffected foot.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

In FIG. 1, an accessory 2 is shown for supporting a foot-drop affectedfoot relative to a lower leg belonging to the foot such that the foot isprevented from dropping down relative to the lower leg when the foot israised by the lower leg from a supporting surface. The accessory isprovided with a first attachment member 4 for attachment of theaccessory 2 to the lower leg, a second attachment member 6 forattachment of the accessory 2 to an upper side of a shoe 8 enclosing thefoot-drop affected foot, and a connecting body 14 joining together thefirst attachment member 4 and the second attachment member 6. The secondattachment member 6 is provided with an attachment plate 7 which, inuse, is positioned under an upper part (such as a tongue, shoe lace oredge) of the shoe 8 (see FIG. 2).

In this example, the first attachment member 4 is an attachment strap 5,provided with first Velcro parts 10.1 which can cooperate with secondVelcro parts 10.2 for closing the strap 5. Thus, the strap 5 can beattached around the leg relatively rapidly in a fitting manner. With thearrows 12 in FIG. 1, it is indicated in which manner the strap for theabove-mentioned attachment can be wrapped around the leg with thefoot-drop affected foot.

In this example, the connecting body 14 is substantially provided with astrip-shaped part connected by a hinged joint connection 16 to the strap5 and connected by a hinged joint connection 20 to the attachment plate7. The strip-shaped part is preferably manufactured from a flexiblematerial with which a favorable supporting characteristic of thefoot-drop affected foot is obtained. Using hinged joint connections 16,20 is advantageous because movements of the foot-drop affected footrelative to the leg can be followed well, yet the hinged jointconnections are not a requisite in any manner for achieving the objectof the invention. The strap 5 is provided with a recess 24 in which thepoint of attachment of the strap 5 and the connecting body 14 can bereceived when wrapping the strap 5 around the leg with the foot-dropaffected foot.

The strip-shaped part of the connecting body 14 is provided with aquick-acting closure 22 for detachably joining together a firststrip-shaped subpart 14.1 and a second strip-shaped subpart 14.2. Withthe quick-acting closure 22, the strap 5 can be disconnected from theconnecting plate 7.

In FIG. 2 an assembly 26 of an accessory 2 and a shoe 8 for providing 30(bottom) support to the foot-drop affected foot is shown. The shoeaccording to the example of FIG. 2 is a lace-up shoe with a lace 30. Forattachment of the accessory, the strap 5 has been wrapped around a lowerleg 32 of a user. Further, the connecting plate 7 mentioned is attachedto the shoe 8. This attachment can take place in various manners.According to a first possible manner of attachment, the attachment plate7 is positioned between at least a part of the lace 30 and an uppertongue 34 extending in the longitudinal direction of the shoe so that,during use, the plate 7 is forced between the lace 30 and the uppertongue 34. In this case, the plate 7 lies completely under the lace 30.According to a second manner of attachment, the plate 7 is positioned inat least a part of the lace 30 and is laced, in use, in the lace 30.Here, the plate lies between overlying parts of the lace 30 andunderlying parts of the lace 30. With both possibilities, viewed in thelongitudinal direction of the shoe, the attachment plate 7 can at leastpartly be enclosed by a part of the lace 30. Optionally, the attachmentplate 7 is provided with lacing eyelets for pulling through the lace 30.

In FIG. 2, the connecting plate 7 and the tongue 34 are schematicallyrepresented in dotted lines. Here, the second attachment possibilitymentioned is shown. After closure of the shoe by tightening the lace 30,the connecting plate 7 is clamped in between the tongue 34 and the lace30 and, optionally the tightened edges of the shoe 8. If the first partof the connecting body 14.1 is joined to the second part of theconnecting body 14.2 by means of the closure 22, then the user, whenwalking, experiences an upward (supporting) force 36 which acts on apoint located near the tongue 34 of the shoe 8.

Attaching the accessory to the shoe by means of the connecting plate 7enables use of the accessory in combination with virtually any type ofshoe and in particular with virtually all lace-up shoes. Therefore, theuser is not hindered in the choice of shoes desired by him. Preferably,the attachment plate 7 is manufactured from a flexible material whichcan model itself on the shape of the instep of the shoe and thefoot-drop affected foot enclosed by the shoe. Further, it holds that,preferably, the attachment plate tapers slightly in a direction awayfrom the connecting body 14. With these features, a good adaptation ofthe attachment member 6 to the shoe 8 is obtained, thereby realizingfavorable comfort in wearing.

The supporting force 36 is determined by the type of material of theconnecting body and the length of this strip. Optionally, the connectingbody 14 can be provided with several closing elements 22, so thatdifferent connecting sub-bodies of, for instance, different materialsand different lengths can be fitted into the accessory for obtaining thesupporting characteristic of the upwardly directed (supporting) force 36desired by the user. The upwardly directed (supporting) force 36 istransmitted via the shoe 8 to the foot-drop affected foot. When, at anytime, the user does not need the (supporting) force 36, the user canundo the closure 22. It is also possible, after undoing the closure 22,to take the shoe 8 off without the attachment plate 7 having to bedetached from the shoe 8.

During use of the assembly according to the invention an effectivecouple is applied to the shoe 8 via the upward force 36, inter aliabecause the point of engagement of the force 36 to the shoe 8 is locatedat a distance from the hinge point of the foot-drop affected foot. Thus,with a relatively limited force 36, a considerable couple for supportingthe foot-drop affected foot is given. As no great forces need to act onthe assembly, it can have a relatively long life span.

By designing the connecting plate 7 to be transparent, the accessory ishardly visible. Further, the strap 7 and/or the connecting body 14 canbe provided with an appropriate color such as, for instance, black, soas to realize an inconspicuous accessory 2.

The assembly and the accessory according to the invention have beendescribed on the basis of one embodiment. However, the assembly and theaccessory are not limited in any way to the described embodiment.Various variations are possible which are also understood to fall withinthe framework of the invention.

1. A method for compensating functional disabilities of the foot of awearer, comprising: placing a shoe on a wearer, the shoe having a toeportion, a heel portion and an instep portion, the instep portion havingon its upper side an upper closure that when open enables a foot to beinserted into the shoe and when closed for maintaining the shoe on afoot; attaching a first attachment member about a lower leg of thewearer, the first attachment member having a first connecting memberflexibly extending from the first attachment member and directed towardthe foot; attaching a second attachment member in engagement with a shoeplaced over the wearer's foot, the second attachment member placed inengagement with the shoe in the area of the instep of the foot, thesecond attachment having a second attachment member flexibly extendingtherefrom and directed toward the lower leg of the wearer; coupling thefirst and second connecting members via first and second mutuallycoacting coupling elements, respectively, mounted on end portions of thefirst and second connecting members, such that the flexible connectingmember extends at an acute angle from the lower leg of the wearer at apoint above the joint of a leg and foot to a point forward of the leg atthe instep of the foot.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein atleast one of the first and second connecting members is elastic.
 3. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the mutually coacting couplingelements provide a plurality of locations longitudinally spaced alongthe elongated flexible connecting member for selectively and detachablyholding together the two elements longitudinally aligned.
 4. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising the step of securing laces onthe shoe so as to cover at least part of the second attachment member,the second connecting member protruding from the shoe laces.
 5. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the second attachment is in theform of a flat plate having a width greater than the upper closure sothat it extends underneath shoe upper parts abutting the upper closure.6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step ofadjusting the length of the first connecting member via the firstmutually coacting coupling element.
 7. The method according to claim 1,further comprising the step of adjusting the length of the secondconnecting member via the second mutually coacting coupling element. 8.The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of clampingthe second attachment member against instep area of the foot viasecuring shoe upper parts against the foot of the wearer.
 9. A devicefor compensating functional disabilities of the foot of a wearer for usein combination with a shoe on a wearer, the shoe having a toe portion, aheel portion and an instep portion, the instep portion having on itsupper side an upper closure that when open enables a foot to be insertedinto the shoe and when closed for maintaining the shoe on a foot, thedevice comprising: a first attachment member arranged for attachmentabout a lower leg of a wearer, the first attachment member having aflexible attachment strap adapted to flexibly wrap about the entirety ofa lower leg, and a first connecting member having a first end secured tothe attachment strap and a second end flexibly extending from theattachment strap and directed toward the foot, the second end having afirst coupling element attached thereto; and a second attachment memberarranged for engagement with a shoe placed over a wearer's foot in thearea of the instep of the foot, the second attachment having a secondattachment member including a second end flexibly extending therefromand directed toward the lower leg of the wearer and having a secondcoupling element attached thereto; wherein the first and secondconnecting members couple via the first and second mutually coactingcoupling elements such that the first and second connecting memberscombine to extend at an acute angle from a lower leg of the wearer at apoint above the joint of a leg and foot to a point forward of the leg atthe instep of a foot.
 10. The device according to claim 9, wherein thesecond connecting member has a first end securable to an instep area ofa shoe underneath a plurality of laces belonging to a shoe.
 11. Thedevice according to claim 9, wherein the second attachment member isadjustable relative to the instep area of a shoe and is securableunderneath a plurality of laces belonging to a shoe.
 12. The deviceaccording to claim 9, wherein at least one of the first and secondconnecting members is elastic.
 13. The device according to claim 9,wherein the mutually coacting coupling elements provide a plurality oflocations longitudinally spaced along the elongated flexible connectingmember for selectively and detachably holding together the two elementslongitudinally aligned.
 14. The device according to claim 9, wherein thesecond attachment is in the form of a flat plate having a width greaterthan the upper closure of the so that it extends underneath shoe upperparts abutting the upper closure.
 15. The device according to claim 9,wherein a length of the first connecting member is adjustable via thefirst mutually coacting coupling element.
 16. The device according toclaim 9, wherein a length of the second connecting member is adjustablevia the second mutually coacting coupling element.